Mavs Announce Williams' Surgery

Thursday, June 9

Williams was banged up during the Mavs' playoff series against Oklahoma City. He missed Game 3 due to an abdomen injury. ESPN's Tim MacMahon noted the former All-Star was "in excruciating pain" during Dallas' Game 2 victory.

The 31-year-old Williams was playing through a sports hernia that has plagued him since the end of March and caused him to miss eight games, but he was able to stave off surgery until now. He looked effective early in the Game 2 win over Oklahoma City, scoring 13 points and dishing out five assists in 26 minutes.

Getting the procedure done now may have been a calculated move for Williams, who will reportedly opt out of his contract with the Mavs and become a free agent, per Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.

Williams had a solid bounce-back campaign with the Mavericks, averaging 14.1 points and 5.8 assists in 65 games. He's not the All-Star player from his peak years, but he proved himself capable of still being a quality asset on a playoff team and a potentially attractive point guard for teams looking at the position this summer, as long as he's healthy enough to pass a physical.